For many, the home office is like mission control for your home. It is where everything comes together and keeps your home running like a well-oiled machine. Well, ideally. And sometimes we neglect our home office because it may not be on display for visitors or we’re just too busy. So it becomes messy and unpleasant to look at. What if we told you that you could create a home office makeover all online?
Here are some online resources to help you make your home office as pretty as the rest of your house.
Ikea Office Planner
While surfing the web to look for ways to decorate my own home office, I stumbled upon the IKEA Office Planner. It is an interactive tool that lets you decorate your home office without leaving the house. You can download the program directly from IKEA’s website. What’s neat about this program is that you are able to design your office with the products from their store and then find out exactly how much you will have to pay for the items you’re eyeing. Even if you don’t buy anything from IKEA, you can at least enjoy the features and apply your own furniture into the blue print.
After downloading the program, you will be ready to instantly start designing your office. You will be asked to select the specific room shape and then provide measurements of the room. After, you will have the ability to arrange the room to match your office setting by re-positioning the room’s windows, doors, walls, and other elements.
Next you can start dragging furniture into the office – the virtual office, that is. Like we said earlier, you don’t necessarily need to buy the furniture you place in your design, it simply provides a foundation for your office decorating projects. It is helpful in that you can find furniture that resembles what you already own. As a bonus, if you’re looking to add more furniture and you’re on a budget, you have the ability to choose from different catalogs to pick out just what you’re looking for.
Once you’ve dragged and dropped the furniture into the virtual layout of your office, you can get a preview of what the room will look like in 3-D. You can save the project and come back as you please. Keep in mind that you must have an IKEA account to save, upload, and get access to your redesigned room.
In order to get a price run down of the items you placed in the room, all you have to do is click “Item List”. You will then find a breakdown of the items by price. This is a helpful tool for budgeting your office supplies and furniture.
See Jane Work
Your work environment speaks volumes about who you are. And your personality is represented by the type of supplies that are on your desk. You just took a quick scan of yours, didn’t you? Well, if you need some help, one fabulous website for office supplies is See Jane Work. You can find a wide range of supplies that will incorporate some flare into your office. Check out the photo below to see how you can redesign your entire office with as little as eight items. We selected the “Vintage Style” to bring in more of an earthy yet robust tone and energy.
The other great thing about See Jane Work is the ability to shop by either style or color. Everything from calculators and mouse pads, to message boards and desk products are sold on the site. The products are designed in a unique way to let your personality shine through.
The Container Store
I don’t know about you, but there is something about this store that just makes me happy. Try it – if you’re having a bad day, walk into a Container Store or browse their website, and I dare you not to smile. I also dare you not to buy something.
The Container Store website allows you to design your desk and shelving system online. Choose the desk top, legs, drawers, file cabinets and shelves to create a one-of-a-kind home office. You can also design over the phone or in their store. And don’t forget their website for all of your storage and organization needs. They have oodles of items that will keep your home office neat and tidy.
With so many people working from home these days, the home office has transformed into more than just a place to pay bills and file paperwork. Design coach, Stephanie Weeks says ” home office design has become increasingly more important for clients because they need the functionality of a commercial office space, but the design aesthetic of a residential home. People no longer want just the standard desk, chair and file cabinet. They want their home offices to be a place of beauty and inspiration. Especially if they have to sit there eight hours a day.”
What do you love or hate about your home office? Have you used any of the resources we mentioned? Do you work in your pajamas from your home office? We’d love to hear from you.
InteriorDesignHQ.com